Christmas Killer
by Schizoprenic-Squirrel
Summary: SxJ It's christmas, and Katsuya, Kaiba, and Malik of the DPD Domino Police Department have to solve a string of murders that are strikingly similar to the christmas killings of 1963. Murders that were never solved. But something's out of place.Merry Xma
1. Chapter 1

This used to be a story called 'digital' (Which I never posted), and it had absolutely _no_ plot. So, I abandoned it, and started this story. Which is called Christmas Killer. As you an see.

Disclaimers: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Wish I did, 'cause then I'd be filthy frickn' rich.

LOL. No, really.

Christmas Killer

_Case File #31250_

_Name: Sarah Clemens_

_Gender: F_

_Age: 23_

_Height: 5' 3"_

_Weight: 150 lbs._

_Hair Color: Brown_

_Eyes: Green_

_Occupation: Vice President Saw&Clemens law firms_

_Date of Death: 12/25/63_

_Time: 1:00 A.M. to 1:45 A.M._

_Cause: Arsenic poisoning_

_Case Status: Closed_

_Due to: Statue of Limitations expiration_

_Case File #31251_

_Name: Sandra Yemm_

_Gender: F_

_Age: 30_

_Height: 5' 5"_

_Weight: 155 lbs_

_Hair Color: Red_

_Eyes: blue_

_Occupation: Banker_

_Date of Death: 12/25/63_

_Time: 2:00 A.M. to 2:45 A.M._

_Cause: Potassium Cyanide_

_Case Status: Closed_

_Due to: Insufficient evidence against defendant_

_Case #31252_

_Name: Carolyn Russ _

_Gender: F_

_Age: 20_

_Height: 5' 2"_

_Weight: 140 lbs_

_Hair Color: Blonde_

_Eyes: blue Green_

_Occupation: Part- time job at San Fransisco Best Buy_

_Date of Death: 12/25/63_

_Time: 3:00 A.M. to 3:45 A.M._

_Cause: Arsenic poisoning_

_Case Status: Closed_

_Due to: Insufficient evidence against defendant_

"Why are you even looking at those?"

A boy (?) with than skin, sandy blonde hair, and violet eyes with two markings underneath them asked his friend, a boy with paler skin, brown hair, and blue eyes.

"Because I want to." The blue- eyed boy, whose name was Seto Kaiba, replied.

"No, seriously. Why?" The violet- eyed boy, whose name was Malik Ishtar, asked.

"Because they were never solved."

"And you think you can solve them?"

"Maybe."

"Alright. Why don't I just get pigs to fly, and how about I get Jou to lay off the latte while I'm at it? C'mon, man, those cases are, like... forty- two years old." Malik said, doing the mental math, "They were closed ages ago. You honestly think that the guy who killed those people is still here? He's gotta be dead."

"He?" Seto asked, taking a sip of coffee and taking the time to look up at Malik and raise an eyebrow.

"Yea, he. So?"

"You do know that over half of hit men, murderers, and metal men are women these days."

"Yea, these days. Not forty- two years ago." Malik pointed out.

"Forty- two years ago, around over one- fourth of women were hit men, metal men, and murderers." Seto Countered.

"One- fourth. Look, it's more than likely that this guy was a man. So why are you looking at these cases now, in 2008, forty- two years after they were closed, anyways?" Malik grabbed his coffee, gulping down half of the burning hot liquid.

"Here's your coffee back." He said, putting it bak down on the desk.

"You can keep it." Seto said, giving the styrofoam cup a distrusting look, "Anyway... I'm looking at them because this christmas killer guy might be back."

Seto handed Malik one of the many files stacked neatly on his desk.

Case #1125580

_Name: Jamey Woo_

_Gender: F_

_Age: 20_

_Height: 5' 11"_

_Weight: 146 lbs_

_Hair Color: Black_

_Eyes: Black_

_Occupation: Part- time job at used car dealer, part- time job at Borders in San Fransisco, volunteer work at local soup kitchen._

_Date of Death: 12/25/05_

_Time: 3:23 A.M. to 3:45 A.M._

_Cause: stab wound in the head_

_Case Status: Open_

_Due to: _

Malik looked over the file, frowning slightly. "So, you think that the same fruit loop who killed all those other women and one girl is back, and killed this one?" He asked.

"There are three more. Here are their files." Seto handed Malik three other manilla file folders.

"And you think that there's a connection between these seven murders?"

"Yes, I do. But I don't think that it's the same guy." Kaiba said, absent mindedly finishing off the last bit of coffee that Malik had half- emptied.

"What's the connection, then?"

Kaiba sat the files down and pulled out a lis scrawled down on a legal pad.

"All victims are female, women ages twenty to thirty, took place on the same day, approximately fifty- five minutes apart from each other, on the same day, the three that took place in sixty- three are from arsenic poisoning and one with potassium cyanide. None of the victims, from then and now, had any sort of criminal record, two or three had records of community service and some sort of volunteer work. None were married, all were either in their first or second year of college, and Sandra Yemm was going back to college, majoring in criminal psychology. That's what all the victims were majoring in. All seven of them. And they were all going to the same local college, too. But it wasn't the same 'fruit loop' as before." Kaiba finished, setting the list down.

"What makes you say that?"

"For one thing, he's probably dead. Or at least so old that he's incapacitated to the point where he can't get around easily to commit murder again. And, like you said, there's a forty- five year gap in between each set of cases. God knows how many students majored in criminal psychology in that time."

"True... So maybe it's someone close to them?" Malik mused, still reading through one of the case files.

"Hey, boys. Anyone want a doughnut?" A woman with black hair that was puled back into a tight bun and who was wearing a woman's police uniform gestured to a box of Crispy Creme doughnuts she was holding.

"No thanks, Sandrah." Seto said, refusing sweets as always.

"Maybe I'll get one later, thanks anyways." Malik said, still reading.

The shrill polyphonic ring of a cell phone rang through the office, the sound coming from the flip- phone in a hollister on Sandrah's belt.

She set the doughnut box down on Seto's desk and plucked the phone from it's hollister, flipping it open.

"Hello? This is Sandrah Flemming of the San Francisco police department, may I ask who's calling?" she said politely. The calm look on her face slowly changed to a mortified one.

"He... he _what_?!? O... Okay, just, just hold on!! I-- I'll be right there!! Okay, I'll be right there! Okay, okay thank you!! Just take care of him until I get there. I'm on my way right now!" She said worriedly, before hanging up the phone and hurrying up.

"Hey Sandrah. What's the problem?" Malik asked, worried about her reaction to the call.

"It's my dad. He's on life support because of his old age, and his nurse just called and said that he's in critical condition. I've got to check out now, I hope y'all don't mind." She was out the door before she finished.

"...wow. That doesn't sound very good." Malik said, staring after her.

"No, it doesn't." Seto agreed, "Hey, you don't think that it was a professor?" he asked.

"Whaddaya mean?"

"Y'know, a criminal psychology professor at the college... no, that's not it."

"Why not?"

"How could a professor get into one of his student's houses in a window between one and three a.m.? There's no way in hell."

"Hey, y'know what's really scary?" Malik said, grinning.

"What?"

"Christmas is about two weeks away."

"Yea, but I'm not a woman."

"I'm not to sure about that."

"Shut up, you."

"What're you gonna do about it? Shun me with your cold indifference?"

"Jou!"

"Ah, hell no!"

"Jou! I need your help out here!"

"C'mon, you wouldn't!! Not to me!"

"Try me. Jou!"

"Awww, Setooo! Please!?!?!? You saw how much coffee he had this morning!! Don't do this to me!!"

A blonde boy walked (more like practically bounced) into the office, with amber eyes and a smile.

"Yea, Set?" He asked, walking over to the desk and sitting down on it, putting a small stack of papers on top of another one.

"I need your help with something." Seto said, smiling up at the blonde with unusual, fake innocence.

"Yea?"

"Malik needs some more paperwork to sign. What say you?"

"... I say..." Jou smirked evilly, "Gun permits. Paperwork for the newbies."

"What!?!? Aw, c'mon, Jou! Not that!! Those forms take forever!"

"Ya' want the medical forms to?"

"...No."

Malik pouted, stomping off towards his desk, taking the doughnuts with him, muttering about revenge and paperwork.

"Thank you."

"What, no kiss? Not after I buried Malik in paperwork?" The blonde (Whose name was Katsuya Jonouchi) pouted, crossing his arms.

"Your gonna sulk forever if I don't kiss you, correct?"

"That would be correct."

"...Fine." Seto put down the file and pulled the blonde down for a short, chaste kiss.

"That's all? Normally you'd be more generous." Jou said, glancing at the files.

"Are you upset about it?"

"To a point..."

"You live with me, you know. It wouldn't be any trouble to..." Seto didn't finish the sentence, knowing full well that his boyfriends mind would take it from where he left off.

"Is this case what's bothering you?" Jou asked as he read through the files, noticing the date, "Sixty- three? Set, these are forty- two years old."

"It's not those. It's these." Seto handed Jou the files from 2007, rubbing his eyes and yawning tiredly.

"You okay? Your not usually this tired. Anything I can do to help?"

"Take a look at these cases. You see a connection?"

Jou only smiled at Seto and gave him an adoring look. "Your so dedicated to your work. Maybe _to_ dedicated. I'll look over these when we get home, maybe we can make connections then."

"I already have a list." Seto said, holding up the legal pad.

"You work to hard." Jou pouted, moving to sit in Seto's lap.

"You don't work enough."

"Not true."

"And your proof of that is where?"

Jou pulled a piece of crumpled paper out of his pocket.

"Look. I came in first again." He said proudly.

And it was true. Jou was the San Francisco Police Departments best sharp shooter, sniper, he was the best when it came to handling guns in general. That's why he always came in first on shooting competitions and the skill checks conducted by the department.

"Do you ever work hard when it comes to using your _brain_?" Seto asked, wrapping his arms around the blonde's waist.

"Enough to know that you think there's a connection between these two 'christmas killer' cases."

Jou closed his eyes and snuggles into Seto's chest, inhaling deeply.

"Wanna go on home?" He mumbled, a small smile gracing his face.

"It's only five o'clock." Seto frowned slightly, looking at the digital clock perched on his desk.

"Only five o'clock? C'mon, it's late! And it's dinner time, to. In fact, it's past dinner time, it's five- oh- one, as of... now." Jou read the now changed numbers.

"Okay, fine. Get off me so I can drive us home, puppy." The brunette smiled.

"Why do you still call me that?" Jou pouted as he stood up, "I though you stopped after high school."

"Well, apparently I haven't. C'mon, let's head home, so your empty stomach doesn't make you go insane."

"We're having tortellini tonight. No complaining, okay?"

"Fine. You'll make me to tired to argue before we get home, anyways."

"Yea, yea. Whatever." Jou smiled, pulling Seto along by the hand as he walked out the door, grabbing his coat.

Seto could only shake his head and smile as he followed his energetic, blonde puppy to their car.

End chapter one

OKAY!! Good? Bad? Suckishly- suckish? Or black hole suckish? This'll be slightly morbid for a christmas story, but...

Please review!! Pleeeeeassssseee????


	2. Chapter 2

Yay, more Christmas Killer- ness!! :3

Exited?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh and all it's awesomeness. : /

Christmas Killer

Chapter 2: Dinner Time

_"We're having tortellini tonight. No complaining, okay?"_

_"Fine. You'll make me to tired to argue before we get home, anyways."_

_"Yea, yea. Whatever." Jou smiled, pulling Seto along by the hand as he walked out the door, grabbing his coat._

_Seto could only shake his head and smile as he followed his energetic, blonde puppy to their car._

Malik watched Seto and Katsuya walk out of the office together. He was still signing papers furiously, muttering curses under his breath, calling Seto every name under the rainbow.

"Stupid sonova bitch and his stupid boyfriend and his stupid paperwork... Stupid newbies and their stupid medical forms!!"

Somewhere, a door opened, but Malik payed no mind to it.

"Sandrah?" Maybe she was back from whatever emergency happened with her dad.

He looked behind him when there was no response.

He turned to see if anyone was in his office.

"Oh, shit!"

He blacked out.

"Seto! Seto, set the table!"

Joey ran to the stove, stirring a pot of almost over- boiling pasta.

"Seto Kaiba, get in hee and set the table!"

Joey pulled down two plates and began ladling pasta onto them.

He saw the brunette rush past him, grabbing car keys from a hook on the wall.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Joey grabbed the back of his coat.

"The hospital."

"Why?"

"Malik."

"What happened to him?"

"He got attacked."

Joey set the ladle down on the counter and started walking ot the door.

"Then come on."

He stopped for a moment, before pulling a bowl out of the cabinet and grabbing a fork. He poured the pasta into the bowl and grabbed a fork.

"Let's go!"

"You and your stomach. It's a wonder you don't gain weight." Kaiba said, rolling his eyes and running out to a black ford Taurus.

"Yea, yea. It's like you and not eating. It's a wonder you're not dead. Or at the very lest hospitalized. Now let's _go_! We have more important things to worry about than my appetite and your anorexia!"

They drove to the Genera Hospital, Joey eating, Seto trying hard not to go to far above the speed limit.

The got to the hospital quickly enough, it was only five or six miles from where they lived.

"Hurry up!" Joey said, rushing inside the automatic doors, leaving the pasta in the car. Seto hurried after him, locking the car. The hospital lobby (Or waiting room) was white, totally white, with a white sign with black letters and red arrows, pointing in different directions, white tile floor, white upholstered furniture, a white- painted table laden with magazines, white lamps, and a white coffee dispenser, with white styrofoam cups and white napkins, a white jar with holes in the top of it for sugar, and a white jar with a white spoon for powdered creamer. The only thing that wasn't white was the silver flat- screen mounted on the wall, with CNN news playing on it. Jou marched up to a white counter, to a white uniformed nurse with brown hair, typing on a white Apple Mac.

"Hey, Anzu." He said. The nurse looked up, seeing her friend from high school.

"Jonouchi! I thought you'd be here!"

"Look, theres time enough for formalities later, okay? What room is he in?"

Anzu typed something into the computer, waiting for a moment as the machine whirred.

"You and Seto... er, Kaiba, are here to see Malik, right?" She asked, scrolling down with the mouse.

"Yes! What room is he in?" The blonde tapped the counter with a (white) pen, looking impatient. Seto paced behind him, staring intently at the floor.

"He's in room 105, first floor, in the ER room." Anzu said, looking up.

"Okay, thanks!" Jou started to walk up towards the sign to see where to go.

"Hold on, Jou! You can't go see him right now!" Anzu stepped out from behind the counter, walking over to the blonde.

"Why not!?"

"They're still trying to stabilize him, he can't have any visitors until two days from now, at the very least."

"What exactly happened to him?" Seto asked, walking up behind Jou to make sure that he didn't do anything stupid.

"He was assaulted in his office. In the _precent_. He's here now and not dead because one of the officers found him on the floor."

"He was _assaulted_!?!?" Jonouchi looked apprehensive. And why wouldn't he? Malik was one of his closest friends.

"Calm down, Jonouchi." Seto said, turning to Anzu.

"He was assaulted?"

"Yes." Tea nodded.

"In the precent?"

Another nod.

"In his office?"

"Yea. I remember hearing the doctors talk about it. I helped get him to his room when they got him here."

"You're absolutely sure about this?"

"Positive."

"What was he assaulted with?"

"It was a knife. A camping knife, like the one's you can get in the hunting and camping section of the Wal Mart."

Seto looked at Anzu, giving her the 'You had better not be lying ot me about this and if you are, I'll cut you into pieces and thoroughly enjoy it' look.

"Where was he stabbed?"

"Once in his leg, above his knee. They just barely grazed a vein, twice in the arm, and there was a deep slice in his side, to. There's also severe blunt trauma to the head." Anzu explained, looking worried.

Beside Seto, Jou paled.

"Come on." He said after a minute, taking hold of Jou's hand and leading him towards the door.

"Why? We have to stay here to make sure he's okay!"

Anzu followed them to the door, grabbing a sheet of paper from the desk along the way.

"And wait for forty- eight hours or more? He can't have visitors until the doctors get him stabilized, and Anzu that that it will probably take days."

"But--"

"Listen, we can't be of any use if we sit around here and wait until we can see him. What we need to do right now is go and see his office, and try to figure out who did it."

"But what if--"

"Seto's right, Jou. You both'll be of better use trying to find out who hurt Malik."

"But what if something happens to him?"

"Here," Anzu handed the blonde the paper she got, "It's a copy of all the machine readings, his pulse, his temperature, blood pressure, everything. I'll e-mail you a copy of this every day, so you can stay up-to-speed."

"Alright. Thanks." He said, taking that paper.

"Uhm... I can't understand any of this." He said, sheepishly.

"Don't worry, I can read it." Seto said, taking the paper,"Thanks, Anzu. This is really helpful."

"No problem, just don't tell anyone. We're required to keep copies of every patient's status but we're not supposed ot give them out to anyone who isn't family."

"We'll keep it a secret, don't worry." Jou said.

"Aright then, let's go on home for now." Seto said, turning towards the door.

"But we need to go to the precent! We need to see where he was stabbed!" Jou protested.

"It's a crime scene, Jou. An officer was assaulted. One of _my_ officers, under _my_ jurisdiction, was assaulted. I'll call the precent, and I'll make sure that everything's airtight. Nobody will get in or out, and nothing will be contaminated."

"Alright, then. Thanks, Anzu. It's nice of you to give us this information." Jou said, smiling.

"Okay then, let's go on back home."

"Alright then."

"See you guys later." Anzu waved.

She watched them leave, before walking back to the desk. She resumed typing on the computer before a polyphonic tune floated across the waiting room, sounding from her pocket. She pulled out a metallic blue phone, flipping open and lifting it to her ear.

"Yes?"

_"Masaki?"_

"Yessir, this is she."

_"Is _he_ there? In the ER?"_

"They're stabilizing him right now. He won't be waking up for another three days, at the most."

_"Without any intervention from the outside he will."_

"Without any intervention from the outside, of course."

_"And it's up to you to see that it doesn't happen."_

"Of course."

_"You'll find what you will need in your mailbox next Monday, the seventeenth. I trust you'll know how to use it?"_

"Of course."

_"Very good."_

"Anything else, sir?"

_"Yes, actually. Have _they_ been by the hospital yet?"_

"Naturally. He _is_ their friend, after all."

_"Hmph. The police captain and his little dog. Keep them on a leash, Masaki. Make sure that they don't find out any more than you tell them. Make sure that they're oblivious."_

"And then dispose of them?"

_"Naturally. I suppose you know how to, of course?"_

"That's why I became a nurse."

_"Hm. Very well then, Masaki. Remember what I need you to do, and make sure you do it. You'll get your reward as soon as you do."_

"Yessir."

There was a click as the caller hung up, and another as Anzu shut her phone.

She grabbed a blue bag from underneath the counter and slung it over her shoulder. She clicked a button on the computer, printing out three pages of paper.

She punched out and then walked out of the doors, her face expressionless.

Seto and Jonouchi got home quick enough. Grabbing the bowl and fork from the dashboard where he left it, he walked in after Seto, moving slowly, almost mechanically, towards the kitchen. He put his dishes in the sink as he walked over to the stove. Seeing that the pasta had gotten cold, he turned the gas burner up to HIGH and sat down at the table, waiting for it to start boiling again. Seto walked up behind him, setting the paper down on the counter.

He pulled a chair up beside the blonde, moving an arm around his shoulders and pulling him into a hug.

"You gonna be okay?" He asked softly.

"Mm- Hmm..."

"I'm gonna call the precent, and make sure that everything gets set up the right way. We're gonna find out who did it, don't worry." He said, kissing his ear. Jou leaned into the hug, smiling a little.

"Thanks, Seto." He said, moving an arm around his waist. They stayed like that a little while, before Seto stood up and picked up the handset. He dialed the number for the precent, waiting impatiently for the phone to stop wringing.

Jou read the paper that Anzu gave him, trying to figure out what it all meant. He eventually gave up and took the paper to the computer, typing in the URL for Google.

_"YOU SET UP A CLEAN- ROOM ENVIRONMENT NEAR THE CRIME SCENE AND __**DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING**__!! I DON'T __**CARE**__ IF THE D.A. IS THERE, I DON'T CARE IF MALIK'S __**SISTER**__ IS THERE, NOBODY TOUCHES __**ANYTHING**__, OR THEY ANSWER DIRECTLY TO ME!"_ Seto yelled into the handset furiously. Jou peeked into the kitchen, seeing the pot on the stove over boiling.

"Ah! Seto, the stove! _Turn off the stove!!_" He yelled, running into the kitchen to turn it off.

Seto yelled into the phone a little longer, before slamming it back onto the charger and fuming.

"Thanks." Jou said, grabbing the ladle, "You hungry?" He asked, scooping pasta onto a plate, and the rest into tupperware.

"Yea. A little."

"Hm. 'A little' my ass. You're starving." Jou placed the plate in front of Seto and sat down beside him, leaning against his shoulder.

Seto only picked at his food, dissecting some of it, cutting other bits into little pieces.

He stopped about ten minutes later, standing up ot put the dishes in the sink.

"I'm going to go on to bed, and you should come to. It's eleven- oh- three." Seto walked to the bedroom, pulling off his button- down shirt and replacing it with a white T- Shirt with a Blue Eyes White Dragon on it (Mokuba had gotten it for him for his birthday last year) and replacing the slacks with a pair of sweat pants.

He turned off the lights and crawled under a white comforter and blue flannel sheets, laying his head down on a (fairly) fluffy pillow.

He heard lights switch off a few moments later, and footsteps after that. The door opened, and figure walked in, feeling around with it's hands for a drawer. A minute or to later, he felt Jou crawl into bed with him and curl up beside him, holding onto his shirt and resting his head on his shoulder. Seto smiled and propped a book in front of the digital clock on the bedside table before turning to wrap his arms around Jou's waist and falling asleep.

**End ch.2**

Yippie!! Another chapter!! With violence, suspense, and puppyshipping fluff(?)!

This chapter strayed slightly from the point of the story, but hey, it moved! The plot developed!! Suspense was created (I hope)!!

Sorry about the Malik abuse, I honestly hate writing it, and every time I do I always go to sleep afraid that angry fangirls (Or boys, maybe) will find out where I live and kill me as I sleep. -_-

Hope y'all enjoyed!!


	3. Chapter 3

It is officially the opposite of christmas. It's summer. :3

Hope y'all are enjoying our vacation!!

**Disclaimers:** I don;t own Yu-Gi-Oh!...

Christmas Killer

Chapter 3: Contamination

_He heard lights switch off a few moments later, and footsteps after that. The door opened, and figure walked in, feeling around with it's hands for a drawer. A minute or to later, he felt Jou crawl into bed with him and curl up beside him, holding onto his shirt and resting his head on his shoulder. Seto smiled and propped a book in front of the digital clock on the bedside table before turning to wrap his arms around Jou's waist and falling asleep._

The next day, time and life itself seemed to slow to an agonizing, silent crawl. The sun rose slower, the coffee brewed sluggishly, and dragging himself out of bed was proving to be an excruciating, harrowing, racking, and agonizing process for Jou. Herculean, even. He slowly shuffled to the kitchen, dragging his feet. Seto was already there, brewing a fresh pot of coffee. The strong, acrid scent filled the kitchen. It was welcome. He opened up the cabinet and pulled out a white-and-blue mug. He closed the cabinet and shuffled over to Seto, leaning against his shoulder, setting the mug down on the counter and gripping onto his arm like it was a lifeline.

"You okay," Seto asked, still enraptured in morning daze as well.

"Mm..." Jou nodded.

"Will you be alright at work today?"

"... Yea.... I'll be fine... Don't worry 'bout me, 'kay?"

"I can't help _but_ worry about you. I live with you, you're my boyfriend. And if I _have_ to worry about someone within a five-mile radius of my person, it _has_ to be _you_," Seto moved his arm around Jou's shoulders, hugging him.

"No exceptions, substitutions, or refunds?"

"Absolutely not."

"Hhm... Gotta worry about you, too, then... You okay," The blonde mumbled into Seto's shirt.

A beeping noise sounded just then, from the coffee maker, signaling that the sacred process of brewing the coffee was done.

Jou turned to grab his mug, still leaning up against Seto, who had his arms wrapped around the blond's waist.

"You want some coffee," He asked, looking behind him.

"I think I'll get some of yours," Seto took the mug, getting a sipping some of the hot, bitter liquid.

It was silent for a few minutes, before Jou turned to go back to the bedroom, pulling Seto Behind him.

"C'mon, we need to get ready for work," He said.

They finished getting ready fairly quickly and got into the car.

The drive was silent, and fairly quick. Hardly any red lights, hardly any morning rush hour traffic.

They arrived at the prescient to find a crowd of people surrounding it. Camera flashed and clicks, frantic talking, sentences spat out almost spastically, recorders, notepads being furiously scribbled on with ballpoint pens. There were three or four officers trying to push the crowd back, scowling and yelling.

Seto pushed through the crowd, shoving the annoying journalists and reporters out of his way, clearing a pat for him and Jou, who just worried. They reached the front doors safely, thank god.

"Use all nescicariy force to disperse the crowd," Seto said, walking through the glass doors.

Needless to say, there was no more crowd outside after that.

There were techies, scientists, lab directors and employees, forensics experts, investigators, and officers.

"Alright, what have we got," Seto asked, walking up to the director of the investigation.

"It's fairly straight forward-- a break-in after hours; it was probably a burglary gone wrong. The guy broke in, was discovered, panicked, pulled a knife and stabbed the officer," The guy said.

"No... no, that's not what happened," Jou said, interrupting.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, look at the door to the office. If it's broken, then why is there glass under it and in the outside of the door, not the inside? And the door out front has no jimmy marks on it; and if some guy came in here during operating hours, he would have been video taped, seen by at least a couple dozen people, and people are always here after hours. _Someone_ would have noticed him, right," He said.

"So you're saying that the culprit is someone inside the prescient?"

"Mm-Hm. And this wasn't a robbery, either. Look at his stuff," Jou pointed,"It was just dumped out on the floor. Nobody bothered to look through it. This was deliberate assault on an officer."

Seto smirked at these observations. Whoever said that Jou was an idiot was dead wrong.

The Director walked over to a table to catalogue all the information.

"Well, this case just got a whole ot more serious," Jou said, walking over to the desk.

"D'you see any footprints," He asked.

Seto looked at the floor carefully.

"No," He looked again, "There's nothing--"

There were some vague outlines of a foot in dried blood on the carpet.

"Hm? Did you find something?"

"Yea. Yea, come here and look at this," He waved Jou over, "See that?"

"Yea. Footprint outlines, right? Or something like them," Jou said, "Slippers, maybe? Lab slippers?"

"I think so. So that means someone with access to the forensic lab, which is pretty much everyone in the prescient, did this... it also means they were smart about this. Slippers won't leave shoe tracks."

"And there isn't enough blood to get a shape or size, there's barely any. But still, they don't look to big. A woman, maybe?"

"It's not a possibility to be totally eliminated. It would narrow down the field of possible suspects."

Jou though for a minute before saying, "Well, there's about twenty, twenty-five female officers and lab operators and other workers here, but we can't be sure."

Jou stood up and sighed, walking around the room, before walking back to look at the footprints.

"Hey, look at this," Ha said after a moment, "Look at the carpet, and look closely."

It took a moment, but if one looked carefully, one could see it. Small, whiter lines along with the red.

"Is that... is that bleach," Jou asked.

"Yea, it is," Seto said before standing up.

"Someone get over here and photograph this, and I want whoever was in charge of setting up the clean room to get there ass over here. _Now_!"

Jou moved aside to make room for a photographer. He walked over to Seto, who was yelling at the lab guys, for contaminating the crime scene (Which they swear they didn't, but he never believed them).

He leaned up against him, holding his hand.

He looked over as the lab guys walked away.

"You alright," He asked.

"Mm-Hm. Yea, yea I'm fine."

"Bullshit."

"Heh... You can always see through me."

"No Public Displays of Affection, boys, or I might just have to report you both," A voice said from behind them.

They both turned around to see Sandrah walking up behind them, holding a cup of coffee, wearing lab gloves and plastic slippers.

"Pfft. C'mon, Sandrah. It's not high school," Jou said.

"Yea, but the way you two are, it makes me feel like it," She said, "You guys want some coffee. I'll run down and pick some up for you."

"Sure. I'd like some," Jou nodded.

"D'you want any, Kaiba?"

"Alright. It'd help," He said.

"'Kay. I'll be back in a minute," She said, before turning and walking out, setting her styrofoam cup on the counter.

Jou watched her leave, still holding Seto's hand tightly.

End ch.3

Yay!! It's done!! ^_^

The crime scene hath been investigated!!! .


End file.
